Village plans ahead to make next holiday season brighter

Tuesday

Nov 26, 2013 at 8:00 AM

For the first time in four years, White Pigeon village officials have decided to not spend the money renting Christmas decorations.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

For the first time in four years, White Pigeon village officials have decided to not spend the money renting Christmas decorations.A village trustee, however, is hoping the downscaled holiday lights on portions of Kalamazoo Street and Chicago Road will inspire contributions toward what she hopes will be a luminous display rife with Christmas cheer.Trustee Shireen Cline is spearheading a campaign to ensure the village has a variety of quality, modern holiday decorations in 2014. In addition to street-post decorations, she hopes to see Wade Park well-illuminated with a variety of ornamentation.The effort to raise funds so the village can purchase new decorations is in its infancy. But, Cline said, timing is an issue.“The best deals on Christmas decorations are typically in January and February, and it would be nice to be able to take advantage of the deals offered after Christmas so we can get the most for our money,” she said.Cline and White Pigeon officials don’t have to look far to validate the rationale. Next week, Colon village workers will put up the municipality’s new collection of Christmas decorations.With donations totaling $8,000, Colon Area Chamber of Commerce was able to order 11 star clusters, four trumpeting angels and 14 wreaths earlier this year for the downtown district. Decorations feature LED lights and were made with clips to easily attach to light posts.GP Designs in Marion, Ind., makes and sells the decorations, and offered a 40 percent discount on orders made before April 1. The discount saved the village more than $5,000 by the off-season purchase, and another $500 by picking up the decorations instead of having them delivered.Cline said White Pigeon will display its own collection of holiday decorations, a small number of candy canes and holiday candles that illuminate. Decorations are more than 20 years old and despite the best efforts of the village’s public works department to keep them well-maintained, a new batch of decorations is needed, Cline said.Four wreaths purchased about 10 years ago are still in decent shape and are typically displayed at the village’s main intersection, Kalamazoo Street and Chicago Road.Cline said she hopes area residents, businesses, civic groups and churches consider contributions with the idea that a decoration purchased as the result of a donation would be acknowledged annually.“And unlike the plants we plant downtown every spring, there isn’t a recurring charge every year … you pay $300, maybe $400 once, and the decoration will always be designated in your name or in honor of someone of your choosing,” Cline said. “For now, there’s not a goal as far as a specific dollar amount to raise, but I would like to be ready to make our order before the period of the discount ends.”Cline said she continues to research new decorations and remains on the hunt for the greatest quantity at the largest discount.The village has decided to not work this year with a Michigan-based company that rents decorations, and hangs them up and takes them down. Though the agreement allowed the district to show off a modern rotation of nice decorations annually, the decision was made by village officials to save the $1,300 expense and go with the decorations White Pigeon has on hand already.The expense last year resulted in 22 items that included hanging decorations as well as figures for Wade Park.Prospective donors or questions about the effort for a brighter 2014 holiday season may call (269) 625-1638.